


In Another Life

by vials



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 13:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vials/pseuds/vials
Summary: After the Spectre mess, Q is forced to finally take some time off. Wandering through an anonymous town in France, he soon remembers why holidays have always been a bad idea.





	In Another Life

Q didn’t mean to see them. It was a complete coincidence, and if Q were honest, it was even more reason to never take a vacation, ever. Bill Tanner had been hounding him, though, talking about how vacations must be taken and he had built up far too many days for it to go unnoticed anymore, so grudgingly Q had taken a week off and shuffled off to France, taking as much work with him as he could to keep him occupied. France was always his choice, whenever he did get the opportunity to go away – a combination of a lot of pleasant memories from childhood, holidaying with his parents, and also the fact that he was fluent in French and therefore didn’t have to worry about sticking to the more touristy areas – or annoying the locals with his inability to communicate.

France was a large country with a lot of wonderful beauty spots, especially along its south coast, and so Q supposed it was simply proof of how cruel the world could be that he managed to bump into James and Madeleine only an hour after arriving at this particular port town. Off the beaten track, it was essentially inaccessible to those who didn’t speak the language; an uninterrupted example of French life nestled in a natural harbour, which was filled not by large cruise ships or commercial vessels but rather the small, locally-owned fishing boats that lazily puttered back and forth. The streets were mostly narrow and cobbled, the houses and shops opening right out onto the pavements, laundry strung from flat to flat above him. It was beautiful and isolated and out of the way, and of course that meant that Q nearly walked straight into James and Madeleine as they came out of a patisserie on Q’s left. There was a flash of recognition on both of their faces, quickly replaced by surprise. 

“Q,” James said, stepping back slightly to look at him properly, as though he couldn’t quite believe he was there. “Don’t tell me you’re spying on me?”

“I’m on holiday,” Q said, before realising just how unlikely that sounded. The look on James’s face backed up the thought. “No, honestly. I am. Bill made me. He absolutely refused to let me back into work. Oh, lord, apologies, Miss Swann. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Certainly a surprise,” Madeleine said, smiling. She looked radiant in a white sundress and large hat, her hair framing her face and glowing gold in the sunlight. Even James looked several years younger, and Q didn’t think he’d ever seen the man dressed so casually. “Are you here by yourself?”

“I am,” Q said, wondering if it would sound pathetic. “Truth be told I might still be doing a bit of work, on the side. But I suppose no one has to know that.”

“You need to give yourself a break,” James said, and Madeleine nodded her agreement.

“You must join us for dinner, at least. I need someone else to help entertain James, and I’m sure he’s dying to hear all the gossip he’s missed.” She looked at James, who nodded his agreement.

“Really, Q. It would be nice to have you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything –” Q began, but James cut him off, laughing.

“How can you intrude if you’ve been invited? Please. It’s nice to see you again, and I suppose I owe you something nice to eat at the very least, after all the trouble you went through for me.”

“I suppose,” Q said, giving a sheepish smile. “I don’t think anything I say is going to dissuade you, is it?”

“Absolutely not,” James said, as Madeleine shook her head. “It’s done, then. Tonight.”

A quick exchange of information and some waves, and they were all on their way again. Q ambled to the top of the street, up a slight slope, and then looked back down it, seeing James and Madeleine weaving through the small groups of people and making their way towards the harbour. They were holding hands and truly looked like everything Q would have expected from a newlywed couple; he wondered if James might pop the question. He’d never seen the man looked so relaxed – well, not outside of long nights spent keeping him company in Q-branch, of course, but he wasn’t going to think about that right now. He didn’t think he could bear it.

He was happy for him, of course he was. And he would get over him, he knew that as well. It wasn’t the first time Q had had his heart broken and he was only young; chances were it wouldn’t be the last. He had cried over it, he had bemoaned it to Eve over their second bottle of wine, he had been angry and upset and jilted and annoyed. Now he was trying to move towards the acceptance phase, and he wasn’t cruel enough to pretend that seeing how happy they looked hadn’t helped him a little. It hurt, but if he could trust himself when he said he cared about James, he had to admit that seeing him happy eased the pain. 

“I could have loved you like that,” he said to himself, quietly, as he watched James and Madeleine vanish around the corner towards the sea. 

_I could have,_ he insisted silently, but he knew it was no longer up to him. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he wished them nothing but happiness.


End file.
